Thermal damage and ablation behavior of graphene induced by ultrafast laser irradiation

Ultrafast laser-induced damage and ablation of graphene is the one of the most critical parts of precise nanopatterning of graphene by using laser ablation. In this article, we have studied the local damage and ablation behavior of monolayer graphene irradiated by femtosecond single pulse laser using molecular dynamics simulation. A theoretical model of phonon-dominated absorption of laser energy is proposed to describe the interaction between graphene and femtosecond single pulse laser. The simulation results based on this model are quantitatively consistent with experimental and theoretical ones. Furthermore, the effects of laser fluences on the atomic ablation behavior and nanogroove generation are investigated. The results show that the relationship between depth of the induced ablation and laser fluence follows a logarithmic function instead of a simple linear relationship. These results will be useful in providing guidance in femtosecond laser processing of graphene.